The Exodites do not possess the large, armoured vehicles that other armies are fond of using. Instead, they bring large creatures, known as Great Dragons and Megadons, to the battlefield. Due to the unique nature of these monsters, rules for using them in games of Warhammer 40,000 are included here.
Great Dragons, and Great Winged Dragons, are used as mounts by Exodite Lords. They ride these great beasts into battle, leading their warriors on to victory.
Megadons are even larger than Dragons and Great Dragons. In battle, they are fitted with side-mounted platforms from which Exodite warriors operate heavy weaponry. The Megadons are directed by another warrior who rides atop its back.
The following special rules apply to Large Monsters:
Common Rules
Monstrous Creature: Large Monsters are considered to be Monstrous Creatures as described in the Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook. They therefore roll 2D6 for armour penetration and ignore opponents' armour saves in close combat. Note that this rule does not extend to the riders, only to attacks made by the creature itself.
Invulnerable: Large Monsters are very resilient, and have thick, tough hides which protect them from injury. They are treated as being invulnerable and may therefore make an armour save against any and all wounds they take, even those that would normally pierce their armour or that allow no save to be made. Note that this rule does not extend to the riders, only to wounds suffered by the creature itself.
Movement: Monsterous creatures move in nearly the same way as other foot models. They may move up to 6" in the movement phase, and may make an assault move up to 6" in the assault phase if they are in range of enemy troops. The only differences occur when using the special rule that allows a Great Winged Dragon to fly, or when a Large Monster is moving into or through Difficult Terrain.
Difficult Terrain: Large Monsters that move through difficult terrain are not affected in the same way as normal foot models. Instead, they are more likely to either break through entirely, or get tripped up and entangled in the rough terrain. Any Large Monster that moves through Difficult Terrain during its movement (except a Great Winged Dragon that is flying over it) must roll a D6. On a roll of 1, roll a further D6 and consult the chart below. On any other roll, they move through as normal. Note that Large Monsters are not able to benefit from the rules for Jungle Warriors. Their size and nature prevents this.
| D6 |
Effect |
|---|
| 1-3 |
Hung Up The monster is caught in vines (or another suitable hinderance) and must cease its movement immediately. It may not move any further this turn as it must extricate itself from this predicament. It may not make an assault move this turn. This does not prevent any riders from shooting their ranged weapons. |
| 4-5 |
Tangled The monster is Hung Up as described above. In addition, it will continue to be Hung Up until it can roll a 4+ on a D6 at the start of any of its turns. This roll may be made even if the creature is engaged in close combat. Being Hung Up does not prevent the creature from making its own attacks in close combat. |
| 6 |
CRASH! The monster is Hung Up for the remainder of the turn as described above. In addition, it crashes to the ground, causing a single wound which cannot be saved. Any riders are unaffected by this.
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A Great Winged Dragon that is flying need only test if it ends its move in Difficult Terrain. If the Great Winged Dragon is walking instead, it must test as normal.
Close Combat: A Large Monster will be able to distribute its attacks among enemy models in base contact with it as normal. The rider of a Great Dragon or a Great Winged Dragon may do the same.
If a Large Monster is within 2" of another model, but not in contact with it, the Monster itself lends 1 attack as normal, as does the rider of a Great Dragon or a Great Winged Dragon.
Monstrous Mounts
Choosing Targets: An Independant Character riding a Great Dragon or a Great Winged Dragon may benefit from the regular rules regarding shooting at Independant Characters with the following exceptions. Such a model may only count Exodite Cavalry models or other Large Monsters when determining whether or not they can be shot. Regular Infantry models do not block line of sight, or protect the character if he has joined the unit or is within 6" of it. Such massive creatures simply cannot hide out among such troops.
Randomizing Hits: When a Great Dragon or Great Winged is fired at, all shooting hits will be randomized. Consult the chart below to see whether it is Dragon or rider that is hit. Blast and template weapons will automatically hit both the Dragon and rider. Models using Sniper Rifles may choose whether to target the Dragon or the rider. In close combat, the attacker may choose whether to attack the monster or the rider.
| Great Dragon |
| D6 | Hit |
|---|
| 1-3 | Dragon |
| 4-6 | Rider |
Slain Rider: If the Rider of a Great Dragon or a Great Winged Dragon is slain, the monster will automatically fall back. They may not regroup if they are falling back due to a slain rider.
Slain Monster: If a Great Dragon or Great Winged Dragon is slain, remove the monster from play and replace it with a model on foot representing the character.
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